Putting Chips to Work for Sharing Pedal Power

At their genesis, bike-sharing networks were low on tech and heavy on grassroots, cooperative spirit. But the programs and systems rolling out today for tracking and distributing up to thousands of bicycles in cities from Milan to San Antonio are of another generation — one built upon mobile access to the real-time web and GPS chips.

Armed with these IT tools, new and evolving bike-sharing networks fit into the larger trends of smarter digital and networked transportation systems, innovation around providing mobility as a service, and moves by unconventional players (from non-profits to advertising giants to health insurance firms to new startups) to assume new roles in the transportation sector.

Public entities are getting into the act, too, with Montreal’s BIXI system being deployed in cities in the U.S. and the UK, while federal and state governments are providing seed money and ongoing funds for some programs. The hope is that the right combination of technology, pricing and convenience will help integrate bicycles into the larger transportation system at mass scale (right up there with buses, trains, ferries and taxi cabs, for example) and spur the growth of some new businesses in the process.

On Friday, the world’s largest bike share network will launch in London, with 6,000 bikes at 400 stations. It’s an illustration of what technologies like text messaging, smartphones with GPS, and the real-time web are ultimately driving in the bike-sharing market: a shift in scale, as infrastructure costs come down, and growing convenience attracts a broader market.

As it becomes increasingly common for consumers to have web access on the go –and operators can use sensors and real-time communication to flag available docks and bikes — barriers to adoption are falling away. It’s just plain easier to find a station and a bike that’s ready to roll. And with GPS chips that can locate you, a bike, or a parking spot, operators have a tool for tackling the bane of bike sharing networks of yore: theft.

A similar shift can be seen on the automotive side of the “mobility as a service” market. Whereas car sharing providers have had networks at the city or regional scale for years, often using a nonprofit model, Zipcar has built up a national footprint and begun to extend its reach overseas over the last decade. While the company — which filed in June for a $75 million IPO — has never turned a profit, its revenues reached $131.2 million last year, up from just $13.7 million in 2005.

Zipcar, which has also grown through acquisitions, developed its fleet technology with a plan to scale it. The company’s vehicles carry some essential hardware, including a “black box” device (a custom circuit board, processor and modem) fitted to a vehicle windshield that allows users to unlock the car they’ve reserved, and also lets Zipcar remotely monitor vehicles. It’s a relatively streamlined customization process, compared with competing systems that require installation of keypads in the dash, for example, or a hands-free calling setup. In fact, Zipcar CEO Scott Griffith has told us that the ideal vehicle for car sharing would be modeled after smartphones, with an open platform that would allow Zipcar to roll new cars into its fleet with little more than a software download.

Zipcar’s grand vision is for a subscriber who lives near its Cambridge, Mass. headquarters, for example, to rent a car in a Barcelona or London Zipcar fleet just as easily as in their home network. Might we eventually be able to rent a bike just as easily in any city around the world, with the swipe of a smartcard or by sending a text message? The race is on to find out, as a growing number of operators seek to replicate their systems in other cities.

We put together a cheat sheet on 10 bike sharing networks to watch earlier this year. But the pace of growth in these programs called for an update, so we revamped our guide to show how bike-sharing networks are putting technology to work, who’s paying how much, and what you might expect to find in your own city sometime soon. There are dozens more that we couldn’t include on our list (tell us about ‘em in the comments section), but here’s 20 places to watch as the latest generation of bike sharing systems put chips to work for pedal power.

Installation/operation costs expected to total £140M over six years. Subscription options include £45/year, £5/week or £1/day access. Usage fees apply after first 30 mins (£1 up to 1 hour, £4 up to 90 mins, £6 up to 2 hours) the UK Independent reports. £150 late return fee (15 min grace period if docking station’s full).

Bikes can be returned to any station in the city, placed every 300-500 meters in central Toyama. JCDecaux’s AllBikesnow iPhone app provides real-tie info on bike and docking station availability, and directions to stations.

Operated by Hourbike. Equipment produced by Czech Republic-based Homeport. Branded for each city.

Users key in a ticket number or swipe a smartcard and PIN to unlock bike. Real time availability can be checked online. GPRS technology and cellular networks used to track who’s using the system at a given time.

System developed and installed by Montreal’s BIXI, which will also manage customer service. Backed by Blue Cross, Bike Walk Twin Cities, city government. Non-profit Nice Ride Minnesota running the program. Ads will be sold for individual stations.

Full-time crews shuttling around in small electric vehicles will clean/ maintain the fleet. Tourists can sign up for day use via kiosk/credit card reader at station. Solar-powered kiosks can be removed in winter. Day pass sold at kiosk. Subscriptions sold via web or phone.

Bike stands have specialized keyboard and LCD display. Users log in with swipe card or call OYBike from a registered mobile phone to release bike. Bike can be returned to any rental station. iPhone app called myCycle shows bike/docking station availability in two cities.

Nice, France network (dubbed Velobleu) launched July 2009 and now has 1,200 bikes at 175 stations. 15-year contract with city of Nice is for total of 1,750 bikes.

System designed by B-Cycle. Bike World will operate and maintain system, with oversight by nonprofit San San Antonio Bike Share. Seed money from DOE and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stimulus funds.

Users can sign up for membership online or at a kiosk. Access card required to unlock bikes, which can be returned to any other station around the city. Bikes will be outfitted with chips to track mileage, calories burned and carbon offsets.

Swipe card activates terminal for user to enter access code. User selects bike from list on touch screen, has 45 seconds to retrieve it. Bikes can be returned to any available docking station, where bike beeps and flashes lights once properly locked.